Barring an unlikely last-ditch attempt by the Dallas Cowboys to keep him away from their bitter rival, star running back DeMarco Murray is set to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It was reported by various outlets late Wednesday night that Murray was headed to Philadelphia for a visit with the Eagles on Thursday. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported early Thursday that Murray’s trip is more than just a meet and greet, and if the Cowboys don’t meet Murray’s demands, he’ll be signing on the dotted line in Philly.

Murray starred for Dallas in a breakout 2014 season, piling up 436 carries between the regular season and the team’s two playoff games for a total of 2,043 rushing yards. He not only led the league in rushing — by nearly 500 yards — he also broke the Cowboys single season rushing record, previously held by the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, Emmitt Smith.

But while Murray’s name is the one that sits at the top of the list in Cowboys history books, Dallas believes that it is their offensive line, which features three first round draft picks, all named All-Pro in 2014, that is the real star of the rushing attack. The Cowboys also believe, as I wrote on Monday, in the historical evidence that, after a season carrying such a heavy load like Murray’s 2014 campaign, running backs tend to quickly break down with very few exceptions.

It is for those reasons that Dallas, although interested in bringing Murray back all along, has been reluctant to budge from their set salary bracket for Murray., According to Mike Fisher of CowboysHQ, that bracket caps out at four years and $6 million annually.

It’s unclear at this time how much the Eagles are offering Murray in either years or dollars. But their numbers would have to be pretty lucrative for Murray to bolt Dallas. That, or the running back feels so jilted by the Cowboys’ unwillingness to meet his demands that he has decided to take the same amount or less from a rival out of spite. After all, it was reported Wednesday that a call from Murray to Chip Kelly this week started the ball rolling in this direction, even though Murray already had a larger offer than Dallas’ on the table from Oakland.

Signing with the Eagles would reunite Murray with his college teammate at the University of Oklahoma, Sam Bradford, who was traded to Philadelphia from St. Louis on Tuesday. But who knows with Philadelphia how long that reunion will last. Though head coach Chip Kelly shot down rumors of a move up in the draft to obtain his former protégé, University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, one has to look no further than the Eagles’ running back situation to see how quickly things change in Philly.

Their sudden interest in Murray continues a week of running back pinball in Philadelphia. The Eagles traded LeSean McCoy on March 3rd, then agreed to terms with Frank Gore on March 7th during the NFL’s legal tampering window. But Gore changed his mind before the Eagles could sign him and instead went to the Colts. Early Wednesday, former San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews agreed to terms with Philadelphia on a reported three-year, $12 million contract. But with Murray coming to town, that deal is still in limbo.

NFL Network’s Albert Breer reported this morning that Mathews is at the Eagles facility today, as the team waits on Murray’s arrival. It’s unclear whether one has any impact on the other, however, it should be noted that Mathews has not yet signed a contract with the team, and a Murray signing might well send Mathews looking elsewhere.

Of course, Philadelphia could choose to sign Mathews as well, and operate with a running back rotation of Murray, Mathews and Darren Sproles. Doing so might take enough heat off Murray to lengthen his prime after he carried so much of the load in Dallas last season. But for a team that claims to have cut McCoy for financial reasons, the $4 million cap hit for Sproles, plus the $4 million price tag on Mathews, plus the $6-8 million likely for Murray, is a lot of money to commit to one position.

For Dallas, the loss of Murray, particularly to a divisional rival, is a definitive blow. But don’t expect the Cowboys to panic and jump head first into the free agent market to fill their running back need. The team likes the rest of their running back group, which includes 2014 fifth round pick Joseph Randle, former Cardinals second round pick Ryan Williams and tendered restricted free agent Lance Dunbar.

Though the Cowboys have been tied to Vikings running back Adrian Peterson in the press for well over a year, it seems unlikely — particularly after the team balked at Murray’s numbers — that they would allocate the money, and perhaps the draft pick compensation necessary in a trade, to land Peterson. Instead, expect Dallas to check in on the free agent market, but ultimately address the need in a draft that is loaded at the position.